Iran was ready to launch a ballistic strike on Ukraine – media
Ілюстративне фото: Reuters
Iran considered launching a missile strike on one of the Ukrainian seaports in response to the attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. However, thanks to active diplomatic contacts, the situation has now been stabilized, and the strike did not take place.
This was reported by The New York Times, citing European and Iranian officials.
According to the publication’s interlocutors, among possible scenarios, Tehran was considering launching a ballistic missile with a small warhead, which was intended to be a symbolic response rather than causing large-scale destruction.
“Some sources said they expected Iran to launch a ballistic missile with a small warhead at Ukraine in a symbolic gesture but with relatively little damage. Other officials said the target would likely be one of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports,” The New York Times noted.
The publication emphasizes that any direct missile strike by Iran on the territory of Ukraine would be a sharp escalation of the conflict and could provoke a much broader escalation, given Tehran’s allied relations with Russia.
According to NYT sources, some Iranian officials hoped that even in the event of a strike, the conflict would end immediately after such a move. At the same time, Western officials warned that it was virtually impossible to predict Ukraine’s response.
Analyst Mehdi Rahmati, whom the publication calls close to the Iranian authorities, noted that there was no unified position within Iran regarding a possible response to Ukraine.
“Ukraine is not a small and insignificant country. It has combat experience and logistical support from America and Europe. We will gain nothing by creating a new front in this war,” he said.
Despite the fact that diplomatic efforts have managed to reduce tensions, The New York Times notes that it is currently unclear how long it will be possible to keep the situation from escalating again.
As a reminder, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of attacking an Iranian merchant ship . He also stated that Ukraine’s actions “cannot go unanswered.”
As reported, Iran is armed with medium-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in Ukraine . The greatest threat among them is the Khorramshahr missile, which can reach a range of about 4 thousand kilometers.
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